History of Flight
On October 23, 2012, at approximately 1330 central daylight time, an unregistered Quad City Challenger ultralight impacted terrain at a private airstrip near Castroville, Texas. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The ultralight was substantially damaged. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Roger M. Dreyer Memorial Airport (KT20) in Gonzales, Texas, at about 1230.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, witnesses reported that the ultralight made a low pass over the airstrip, then executed a tight left 180-degree turn to final approach. During the turn, the aircraft stalled, entered a steep nose-down descent, and made at least one half-turn to the left before striking the ground. The ultralight had recently been purchased and was being delivered to the new owner at the time of the accident.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 56, held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument ratings, as well as a third-class medical certificate requiring corrective lenses. According to FAA records, he had accumulated 537 total flight hours, with 30 hours in the preceding 90 days and only 3 hours in the accident aircraft make and model, all accrued during the delivery flight.
Aircraft Information
The ultralight was a two-place tandem configuration, powered by a Rotax 503 two-cylinder, inline, two-stroke piston engine rated at 50 horsepower, mounted in a pusher configuration. It was designed and produced by Quad City Aircraft Corporation of Moline, Illinois, in 1983. The aircraft was a high-wing ultralight with tricycle landing gear, measuring 20 feet in length, 6 feet in height, with a wingspan of 31.5 feet and a wing area of 177 square feet. Its maximum takeoff weight was 960 pounds, empty weight 460 pounds, and useful load 500 pounds. The stall speed was listed as 28 miles per hour.
Meteorological Information
Weather recorded at 1335 by the Castroville Municipal Airport (KCVB) Automated Weather Observing System indicated wind from 160 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 5 statute miles, ceiling 2,600 feet broken and 3,400 feet overcast, temperature 27°C (81°F), dew point 20°C (61°F), and altimeter setting 29.96 inches of mercury.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted by the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office attributed the cause of death to blunt force injuries. Toxicology tests performed by Bexar County and the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute found no evidence of carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, or drugs.